Addressing the subpoena power of district courts to compel evidence for use in US Patent & Trademark Office (PTO) proceedings, the US Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit upheld a district court’s decision (albeit on...more
Addressing errors in the Trademark Trial & Appeal Board’s likelihood of confusion analysis in a cancellation action, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit vacated and remanded, holding that the Board erred by...more
Addressing the issue of analogous trademark use, the Trademark Trial & Appeal Board designated precedential a September 6, 2022, decision in which the Board cancelled a registration for CAPTAIN CANNABIS based on the...more
The US Patent & Trademark Office Trademark Trial & Appeal Board found that a consumer did not have standing to oppose an application for registration because the consumer failed to establish a commercial interest and injury...more
Addressing a refusal to register for failure to function as a trademark, the Trademark Trial & Appeal Board (Board) reversed, finding that the evidence of consumer perception of “100% THAT BITCH” did not demonstrate that the...more
Three interesting intellectual property cases are on the Supreme Court of the United States’ docket in 2023. The Supreme Court’s opinions in these cases could have significant implications for trademark and copyright disputes...more
2/17/2023
/ Copyright ,
Corporate Counsel ,
First Amendment ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Lanham Act ,
Parody ,
Petition for Writ of Certiorari ,
SCOTUS ,
Trademark Infringement ,
Trademark Litigation ,
Trademarks
The Trademark Trial & Appeal Board (Board) addressed, for the first time, whether the deletion of goods and services as a result of a post-registration audit during a cancellation proceeding triggers Trademark Rule 2.134 and...more
The Supreme Court of the United States has agreed to consider the scope of protection afforded by the First Amendment to commercial parody products that feature the unauthorized use of another party’s trademark(s). Jack...more
The US Patent & Trademark Office (PTO) recently issued Examination Guide 1-22, Clarification of Examination Evidentiary Standard for Marks Refused as Generic (Guide 1-22), which amends the PTO’s stance on the appropriate...more
Addressing laches and progressive encroachment, the US Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit reversed and remanded a district court’s grant of summary judgment based on laches because the district court failed to “conduct a...more
KEY TAKEAWAYS AND OUTLOOK FOR 2022 -
While Gen Z taught us all on TikTok how not to be “cheugy,” or out of touch with pop culture, similarly, trademark law in 2021 ushered in new and changed regulations, provided further...more
Addressing a dispute between a bridal designer and her former employer regarding the use of the designer’s name and control of various social media accounts, the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit affirmed the...more
As part of its initiative to “protect the integrity of the U.S. trademark register,” the US Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) issued a Federal Register notice outlining a new administrative process to address fraudulent or...more
The US Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) recently published its final rules implementing provisions of the Trademark Modernization Act of 2020 (TMA). Most changes are effective as of December 18, 2021, but certain changes...more
12/2/2021
/ Corporate Counsel ,
Ex Parte ,
Ex Partes Reexamination ,
Expungement ,
Final Rules ,
Trademark Litigation ,
Trademark Modernization Act (TMA) ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ,
Trademarks ,
USPTO
Addressing for the first time whether the Supreme Court of the United States’ recent decision in United States v. Arthrex, Inc. also applied to the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board (TTAB), the US Court of Appeals for the...more
9/16/2021
/ Appeals ,
Appointments Clause ,
Corporate Counsel ,
False Association ,
Lanham Act ,
SCOTUS ,
Trademark Cancellation ,
Trademark Litigation ,
Trademark Modernization Act (TMA) ,
Trademark Trial and Appeal Board ,
Trademarks ,
United States v Arthrex Inc
Addressing for the second time whether the design of a chocolate-dipped, stick-shaped cookie was eligible for trade dress protection, the US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit held again that the product configuration was...more
2020 was a year like no other, so you’d be forgiven if the year’s biggest headlines in trademark law didn’t quite catch your attention. In 2020, the US Supreme Court shaped trademark jurisprudence through a trio of notable...more
1/22/2021
/ Coronavirus/COVID-19 ,
Counterfeiting ,
Economic Stimulus ,
Electronic Filing ,
Enforcement ,
Fraud ,
Injunctive Relief ,
Lanham Act ,
New Legislation ,
Online Marketplace ,
SCOTUS ,
Trademark Ownership ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademarks ,
USPTO
Addressing the assessment and application of the DuPont likelihood of confusion factors, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit upheld the Trademark Trial and Appeal Board’s finding of no likelihood of confusion...more
Addressing the Supreme Court of the United States’ ruling in USPTO v. Booking.com B.V., the US Patent and Trademark Office (PTO) recently issued guidance on the examining procedures for “generic.com terms.” (Examination Guide...more
11/12/2020
/ Acquired Distinctiveness ,
Appeals ,
Booking.com ,
Domain Name Registration ,
Domain Names ,
Generic Marks ,
Lanham Act ,
SCOTUS ,
Trademark Registration ,
Trademarks ,
United States Patent and Trademark Office v Booking.com BV
The US Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit found that trade dress protection did not extend to the design of a chocolate-dipped, stick-shaped cookie, because the product configuration was useful. Ezaki Glico Kabushiki...more
Addressing whether a dog toy meant to humorously evoke a bottle of whiskey was entitled to First Amendment protection, the US Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit held that the toy was a protectable expressive work. The...more
Pursuant to the temporary authority granted by the CARES Act, the US Copyright Office and the USPTO have announced that they are taking steps to assist those impacted by the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic by extending...more
Trademark jurisprudence in 2019 may be best summarized in two words: questions and answers. Decisions handed down at the district court level have teed up key questions that are poised to be answered by the United States...more
Addressing whether the activities of non-exclusive licensees subject the licensor to personal jurisdiction, the US Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit held that jurisdiction over the licensees does not extend personal...more
1/3/2020
/ Amended Complaints ,
Appeals ,
Dismissals ,
Forum State ,
Intellectual Property Litigation ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
Jurisdiction ,
Licensees ,
Non-Exclusive License Agreements ,
Personal Jurisdiction ,
Remand ,
Reversal ,
Trademark Infringement ,
Trademarks ,
Unfair Competition ,
Vacated
Addressing for the first time whether International Trade Commission (ITC) trademark infringement rulings have a preclusive effect on district court litigation, the US Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit affirmed the...more
7/10/2019
/ Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) ,
Appeals ,
Claim Preclusion ,
Consent Order ,
Initial Determination (ID) ,
Intellectual Property Protection ,
International Trade Commission (ITC) ,
Likelihood of Confusion ,
Trademark Infringement ,
Trademark Invalidity ,
Trademarks